Collection and Analysis of Muted Audio

ABSTRACT

Apparatus having corresponding methods comprise a microphone configured to produce audio; a mute control configured to select a microphone open selection or a microphone muted selection; a processor configured to identify the audio produced during the microphone open selection as primary audio, and to identify the audio produced during the microphone muted selection as secondary audio; and a transceiver configured to transmit the primary audio and the secondary audio.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of audioprocessing. More particularly, the present disclosure relates toanalysis of audio generated by a microphone.

BACKGROUND

This background section is provided for the purpose of generallydescribing the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently namedinventor(s), to the extent the work is described in this backgroundsection, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwisequalify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly norimpliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

Currently most audio communication systems have a mute functioncontrolled locally that prevents the remote party from hearing the localaudio. When the mute function is active, audio generated by themicrophone is not transmitted to the remote party.

In call centers, there are several reasons an agent may mute hismicrophone. The agent may be coughing or sneezing, and does not want theremote party to hear. The agent may be having difficulty handling acall, and so is asking questions of his co-workers. Or the agent may bedoing things not related to his work.

In each of these examples, the behavior of the agent may indicate aproblem. An ill agent may spread illness to others in the call center.An agent asking questions of his co-workers may need more training, ormay have competency issues. Or an agent may not be providing the workdesired.

Currently, these problems are generally detected by a supervisorobserving the agents directly. This process costs time and resourcesthat could be directed to more productive endeavors. An agent may beobserved remotely by monitoring his calls, but such monitoring failswhile the mute function is active.

SUMMARY

In general, in one aspect, an embodiment features an apparatuscomprising: a microphone configured to produce audio; a mute controlconfigured to select a microphone open selection or a microphone mutedselection; a processor configured to identify the audio produced duringthe microphone open selection as primary audio, and to identify theaudio produced during the microphone muted selection as secondary audio;and a transceiver configured to transmit the primary audio and thesecondary audio.

Embodiments of the apparatus can include one or more of the followingfeatures. In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured totransmit the primary audio over a first link, and to transmit thesecondary audio over a second link. In some embodiments, the first linkis an audio link; and the second link is a data link. In someembodiments, the first link is a Bluetooth Synchronous ConnectionOriented (SCO) link; and the secondary link is a Bluetooth AsynchronousConnection-Less (ACL) link. In some embodiments, the transceivercomprises: a first transceiver configured to transmit the primary audioaccording to a first protocol; and a second transceiver configured totransmit the secondary audio according to a second protocol. Someembodiments comprise a memory configured to store the secondary audioprior to the transceiver transmitting the secondary audio. In someembodiments, the processor is further configured to packetize theprimary audio and the secondary audio, and to mark at least one of (i)packets of the primary audio and (ii) packets of the secondary audio.Some embodiments comprise a headset.

In general, in one aspect, an embodiment features a method comprising:producing audio responsive to sound; determining a selection of a mutecontrol configured to select a microphone open selection or a microphonemuted selection; identifying the audio produced during the microphoneopen selection as primary audio; identifying the audio produced duringthe microphone muted selection as secondary audio; and transmitting theprimary audio and the secondary audio.

Embodiments of the method can include one or more of the followingfeatures. Some embodiments comprise transmitting the primary audio overa first link; and transmitting the secondary audio over a second link.Some embodiments comprise transmitting the primary audio according to afirst protocol; and transmitting the secondary audio according to asecond protocol. Some embodiments comprise packetizing the primary audioand the secondary audio; and marking at least one of (i) packets of theprimary audio and (ii) packets of the secondary audio.

In general, in one aspect, an embodiment features apparatus comprising:a receiver configured to receive audio produced by a headset, whereinthe headset has a mute control configured to select a microphone openselection or a microphone muted selection, and wherein the audioincludes primary audio and secondary audio, wherein the primary audio isgenerated by a microphone of the headset during a microphone openselection, and wherein the secondary audio is generated by themicrophone of the headset during the microphone muted selection; and aswitch configured to pass the primary audio to a communications channel,and to pass the secondary audio to an analytics engine.

Embodiments of the apparatus can include one or more of the followingfeatures. In some embodiments, the switch is further configured to passthe primary audio to the analytics engine. Some embodiments comprise theanalytics engine. In some embodiments, the receiver is furtherconfigured to receive the primary audio over a first link, and toreceive the secondary audio over a second link. In some embodiments, thefirst link is an audio link; and the secondary link is a data link. Insome embodiments, the first link is a Bluetooth Synchronous ConnectionOriented (SCO) link; and the secondary link is a Bluetooth AsynchronousConnection-Less (ACL) link. In some embodiments, the receiver comprises:a first receiver configured to receive the primary audio according to afirst protocol; and a second receiver configured to receive thesecondary audio according to a second protocol. In some embodiments, theaudio comprises packets of the primary audio and packets of thesecondary audio; at least one of (i) the packets of the primary audioand (ii) the packets of the secondary audio include marks; and theswitch is further configured to distinguish the (i) the packets of theprimary audio and (ii) the packets of the secondary audio based on themarks.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows elements of a call center audio system according to anembodiment where the primary and secondary audio are distinguished usingpacket marking.

FIG. 2 shows a process for the call center audio system of FIG. 1according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows elements of a call center audio system according to anembodiment where the primary and secondary audio are distinguished usingdifferent communication links.

FIG. 4 shows a process for the call center audio system of FIG. 3according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows elements of a call center audio system according to anembodiment where the primary and secondary audio are distinguished usingdifferent communication protocols.

FIG. 6 shows a process for the call center audio system of FIG. 5according to one embodiment.

The leading digit(s) of each reference numeral used in thisspecification indicates the number of the drawing in which the referencenumeral first appears.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provides collection of muted audiofor analysis and the like. In the described embodiments, sound receivedby a microphone while the microphone is muted (that is, the mutefunction is active) is collected and analyzed. Sound received by themicrophone while not muted (that is, while the mute function is notactive) may be analyzed as well. Audio collected while the microphone isnot muted is referred to herein as “primary audio.” Audio collectedwhile the microphone is muted is referred to herein as “secondaryaudio.” In the described embodiments, various techniques are employed todistinguish the primary audio from the secondary audio. In someembodiments, packets of the primary audio and/or secondary audio may bemarked, for example by setting flags in headers of the packets. In otherembodiments, the primary audio and secondary audio may be transmittedover different links, using different protocols, and the like. Otherfeatures are contemplated as well.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in terms of an agentwearing a wireless headset in a call center. However, the techniquesdescribed herein are applicable to any audio device having a microphone,and in any environment.

FIG. 1 shows elements of a call center audio system 100 according to anembodiment where the primary and secondary audio are distinguished usingpacket marking. Although in the described embodiment elements of thecall center audio system 100 are presented in one arrangement, otherembodiments may feature other arrangements. For example, elements of thecall center audio system 100 may be implemented in hardware, software,or combinations thereof. As another example, various elements of thecall center audio system 100 may be implemented as one or more digitalsignal processors.

Referring to FIG. 1, the call center audio system 100 may include aheadset 102 in communication with a host 104 over a wireless channel106. The headset 102 may include a microphone (MIC) 108, a mute control(MUTE) 110, a processor (PROC) 112, and a transceiver (TRX) 114. Thehost 104 may include a transceiver (TRX) 116, a switch (SW) 118, anaudio channel 120, and an analytics engine 122. While in the describedembodiments, the analytics engine 122 may be part of the host 104, inother embodiments, the analytics engine 122 may not be part of the host104, and may be located outside the call center audio system 100.

The mute control 110 may select either a microphone open selection or amicrophone muted selection. The mute control 110 may be user-operable,automatic, or both. A user-operable mute control 110 may be implementedas a button, slide switch, or the like. An automatic mute control 110may automatically select the microphone open selection when donned, andmay automatically select the microphone muted selection when doffed.

The processor 112 may include an analog-to-digital converter, a digitalsignal processor, a packetizer, and the like. The wireless channel 106may be a Bluetooth channel, a Digital Enhanced CordlessTelecommunications (DECT) channel, a Wi-Fi channel, or the like. Theaudio channel 120 may be any audio channel suitable for passing packetsof primary audio to a remote party. The secondary audio may be routeddirectly to the host 104, or via another device such as a smart phone orcomputer.

FIG. 2 shows a process 200 for the call center audio system 100 of FIG.1 according to one embodiment. Although in the described embodiments theelements of process 200 are presented in one arrangement, otherembodiments may feature other arrangements. For example, in variousembodiments, some or all of the elements of process 200 can be executedin a different order, concurrently, and the like. Also some elements ofprocess 200 may not be performed, and may not be executed immediatelyafter each other. In addition, some or all of the elements of process200 can be performed automatically, that is, without human intervention.

Referring to FIG. 2, at 202, the microphone 108 may generate audio thatrepresents sound received by the microphone 108. The processor 112 mayprocess the audio. An analog-to-digital converter within the processormay convert the audio to digital audio. The processor 112 may packetizethe digital audio. The mute control 110 may be operated by the agent toselect either a microphone open selection or a microphone mutedselection. The selection may be communicated to the processor 112 by amute signal 128. At 204, the processor 112 may determine the selectionbased on the mute signal 128.

The processor 112 may identify the audio produced during the microphoneopen selection as primary audio, and may identify the audio producedduring the microphone muted selection as secondary audio. In the presentembodiment, at 206, the processor 112 may identify the audio by markingsome or all of the packets in the audio stream. The processor 112 maymark the packets in accordance with the mute signal 128. The processor112 may mark the packets of the digital audio when the mute signal 128indicates the microphone muted selection, when the mute signal 128indicates the microphone open selection, or both. The processor 112 maymark the packets, for example, by setting or clearing a flag in theheader of each packet, or in the header of a packet to indicate atransition between blocks of secondary and primary audio, and the like.The processor 112 may insert control packets transition between blocksof secondary and primary audio, and the like. At 208, the transceiver114 of the headset 102 may transmit a signal representing the packetsover the wireless channel 106.

At 210, the transceiver 116 of the host 104 may receive the signalrepresenting the packets over the wireless channel 106. At 212, theswitch 118 routes the packets according to the marks in the packets. Inparticular, the switch 118 routes the packets of primary audio to theaudio channel 120, and routes the packets of secondary audio to theanalytics engine 122 for analysis. In some embodiments, the switch 118may also route some or all of the packets of primary audio to theanalytics engine 122 for analysis.

FIG. 3 shows elements of a call center audio system 300 according to anembodiment where the primary and secondary audio are distinguished usingdifferent communication links. Although in the described embodimentelements of the call center audio system 300 are presented in onearrangement, other embodiments may feature other arrangements. Forexample, elements of the call center audio system 300 may be implementedin hardware, software, or combinations thereof. As another example,various elements of the call center audio system 300 may be implementedas one or more digital signal processors.

Referring to FIG. 3, the call center audio system 300 may include aheadset 302 in communication with a host 304 over a wireless channel306. The headset 302 may include a microphone (MIC) 308, a mute control(MUTE) 310, a processor (PROC) 312, a memory 324, and a transceiver(TRX) 314. The host 304 may include a transceiver (TRX) 316, an audiochannel 320, and an analytics engine 322. While in the describedembodiments, the analytics engine 322 may be part of the host 304, inother embodiments, the analytics engine 322 may not be part of the host304, and may be located outside the call center audio system 300.

The mute control 310 may select either a microphone open selection or amicrophone muted selection. The mute control 310 may be user-operable,automatic, or both. A user-operable mute control 310 may be implementedas a button, slide switch, or the like. An automatic mute control 310may automatically select the microphone open selection when donned, andmay automatically select the microphone muted selection when doffed.

The processor 312 may include an analog-to-digital converter, a digitalsignal processor, a packetizer, and the like. The wireless channel 306may be a Bluetooth channel, a Digital Enhanced CordlessTelecommunications (DECT) channel, a Wi-Fi channel, or the like. Theaudio channel 320 may be any audio channel suitable for passing packetsof primary audio to a remote party. The secondary audio may be routeddirectly to the host 304, or via another device such as a smart phone orcomputer.

FIG. 4 shows a process 400 for the call center audio system 300 of FIG.3 according to one embodiment. Although in the described embodiments theelements of process 400 are presented in one arrangement, otherembodiments may feature other arrangements. For example, in variousembodiments, some or all of the elements of process 400 can be executedin a different order, concurrently, and the like. Also some elements ofprocess 400 may not be performed, and may not be executed immediatelyafter each other. In addition, some or all of the elements of process400 can be performed automatically, that is, without human intervention.

Referring to FIG. 4, at 402, the microphone 308 may generate audio thatrepresents sound received by the microphone 308. The processor 312 mayprocess the audio. An analog-to-digital converter within the processormay convert the audio to digital audio. The processor 312 may packetizethe digital audio. The mute control 310 may be operated by the agent toselect either a microphone open selection or a microphone mutedselection. The selection may be communicated to the processor 312 by amute signal 328. At 404, the processor 312 may determine the selectionbased on the mute signal 328.

The processor 312 may identify the audio produced during the microphoneopen selection as primary audio, and may identify the audio producedduring the microphone muted selection as secondary audio. In the presentembodiment, the processor 312 may identify the audio by routing theprimary audio to one link, and routing the secondary audio to anotherlink. At 406, the processor 312 may route the packets of digital audioamong multiple communication links in accordance with the mute signal328. For example, the processor 312 may route the packets of primaryaudio to an audio link, and may route the packets of secondary audio toa data link. The audio link may be a Bluetooth Synchronous ConnectionOriented (SCO) link. The data link may be a Bluetooth AsynchronousConnection-Less (ACL) link. However, other wireless protocols and linksmay be used.

At 408, the memory 324 may store the packets of the secondary audiobefore transmission to the host 304. In such embodiments, the data linkneed not be open continuously. At 410, the transceiver 314 of theheadset 302 transmits one or more signals representing the packets overthe wireless channel 306.

At 412, the transceiver 316 of the host 304 may receive the signalrepresenting the packets over the wireless channel 306. At 414, thetransceiver 316 may pass the packets according to the communicationlinks. In particular, the transceiver 316 may route the packets ofprimary audio to the audio channel 320, and may route the packets ofsecondary audio to the analytics engine 322 for analysis. In someembodiments, the transceiver 316 may also route some or all of thepackets of primary audio to the analytics engine 322 for analysis.

FIG. 5 shows elements of a call center audio system 500 according to anembodiment where the primary and secondary audio are distinguished usingdifferent communication protocols. Although in the described embodimentelements of the call center audio system 500 are presented in onearrangement, other embodiments may feature other arrangements. Forexample, elements of the call center audio system 500 may be implementedin hardware, software, or combinations thereof. As another example,various elements of the call center audio system 500 may be implementedas one or more digital signal processors.

Referring to FIG. 5, the call center audio system 500 may include aheadset 502 in communication with a host 504 over wireless channels 506and 546. The headset 502 may include a microphone (MIC) 508, a mutecontrol (MUTE) 510, a processor (PROC) 512, a memory 524, transceivers(TRX) 514 and 534. The host 504 may include transceivers (TRX) 516 and536, an audio channel 520, and an analytics engine 522. While in thedescribed embodiments, the analytics engine 522 may be part of the host504, in other embodiments, the analytics engine 522 may not be part ofthe host 504, and may be located outside the call center.

The mute control 510 may select either a microphone open selection or amicrophone muted selection. The mute control 510 may be user-operable,automatic, or both. A user-operable mute control 510 may be implementedas a button, slide switch, or the like. An automatic mute control 510may automatically select the microphone open selection when donned, andmay automatically select the microphone muted selection when doffed.

The processor 512 may include an analog-to-digital converter, a digitalsignal processor, a packetizer, and the like. The wireless channels 506and 546 may employ different wireless protocols, for example such asBluetooth and Wi-Fi, respectively. However, any protocol may be used,for example such as Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT),or the like. The audio channel 520 may be any audio channel suitable forpassing the packets of primary audio to a remote party. The secondaryaudio may be routed directly to the host 504, or via another device suchas a smart phone or computer.

FIG. 6 shows a process 600 for the call center audio system 500 of FIG.5 according to one embodiment. Although in the described embodiments theelements of process 600 are presented in one arrangement, otherembodiments may feature other arrangements. For example, in variousembodiments, some or all of the elements of process 600 can be executedin a different order, concurrently, and the like. Also some elements ofprocess 600 may not be performed, and may not be executed immediatelyafter each other. In addition, some or all of the elements of process600 can be performed automatically, that is, without human intervention.

Referring to FIG. 6, at 602, the microphone 508 may generate audio thatrepresents sound received by the microphone 508. The processor 512 mayprocess the audio. An analog-to-digital converter within the processormay convert the audio to digital audio. The processor 512 may packetizethe digital audio. The mute control 510 may be operated by the agent toselect either a microphone open selection or a microphone mutedselection. The selection may be communicated to the processor 512 by amute signal 528. At 604, the processor 512 may determine the selectionbased on the mute signal 528.

The processor 512 may identify the audio produced during the microphoneopen selection as primary audio, and may identify the audio producedduring the microphone muted selection as secondary audio. In the presentembodiment, the processor 512 may identify the audio by routing theprimary audio to one transceiver, and routing the secondary audio toanother transceiver. At 606, the processor 512 may route the packets ofdigital audio among multiple transceivers 514, 534 in accordance withthe mute signal 528. For example, the processor 512 may route thepackets of primary audio to one transceiver 514, and may route thepackets of secondary audio to another transceiver 534.

At 608, the memory 524 may store the packets of the secondary audiobefore transmission to the host 504. In such embodiments, the data linkneed not be open continuously. At 610, the transceivers 514, 534 of theheadset 502 transmit signals representing the packets over therespective wireless channel 506, 546.

At 612, the transceivers 516, 536 of the host 504 may receive thesignals representing the packets over the respective wireless channels506, 546. At 612, the transceiver 516 may pass the packets of primaryaudio to the audio channel 520, and the transceiver 536 may pass thepackets of secondary audio to the analytics engine 522 for analysis. Insome embodiments, the transceiver 516 may also route some or all of thepackets of primary audio to the analytics engine 522 for analysis.

The analytics engines 122, 322, 522 described above may perform any sortof analysis on the secondary audio. The analytics engines 122, 322, 522may identify coughs and sneezes in the secondary audio, keeping metricsas a potential indicator of illness of individual agents and groups ofagents. The analytics engines 122, 322, 522 may detect questions, forexample based on intonation, voice recognition, and the like, keepingmetrics as a possible indicator of need for training of individualagents or groups of agents. The analytics engines 122, 322, 522 maymonitor agent's speech with mute on or off and make decisions oncontent, keeping metrics as indicators of time spent on workcommunications and personal communications. In all cases, a supervisormay be alerted when a metric threshold is exceeded, making itunnecessary for a supervisor to personally monitor calls or observeagents.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented indigital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware,software, or in combinations thereof. Embodiments of the presentdisclosure can be implemented in a computer program product tangiblyembodied in a computer-readable storage device for execution by aprogrammable processor. The described processes can be performed by aprogrammable processor executing a program of instructions to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Embodimentsof the present disclosure can be implemented in one or more computerprograms that are executable on a programmable system including at leastone programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructionsfrom, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system,at least one input device, and at least one output device. Each computerprogram can be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-orientedprogramming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; andin any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language.Suitable processors include, by way of example, both general and specialpurpose microprocessors. Generally, processors receive instructions anddata from a read-only memory and/or a random access memory. Generally, acomputer includes one or more mass storage devices for storing datafiles. Such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disksand removable disks, magneto-optical disks; optical disks, andsolid-state disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodyingcomputer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatilememory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, suchas EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such asinternal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; andCD-ROM disks. Any of the foregoing can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). Asused herein, the term “module” may refer to any of the aboveimplementations.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, variousmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope ofthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a microphone configuredto produce audio; a mute control configured to select a microphone openselection or a microphone muted selection; a processor configured toidentify the audio produced during the microphone open selection asprimary audio, and to identify the audio produced during the microphonemuted selection as secondary audio; and a transceiver configured totransmit the primary audio and the secondary audio.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein: the transceiver is further configured to transmit theprimary audio over a first link, and to transmit the secondary audioover a second link.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the first linkis an audio link; and the second link is a data link.
 4. The apparatusof claim 3, wherein: the first link is a Bluetooth SynchronousConnection Oriented (SCO) link; and the secondary link is a BluetoothAsynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the transceiver comprises: a first transceiver configured totransmit the primary audio according to a first protocol; and a secondtransceiver configured to transmit the secondary audio according to asecond protocol.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: amemory configured to store the secondary audio prior to the transceivertransmitting the secondary audio.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:the processor is further configured to packetize the primary audio andthe secondary audio, and to mark at least one of (i) packets of theprimary audio and (ii) packets of the secondary audio.
 8. The apparatusof claim 1, further comprising: a headset.
 9. A method comprising:producing audio responsive to sound; determining a selection of a mutecontrol configured to select a microphone open selection or a microphonemuted selection; identifying the audio produced during the microphoneopen selection as primary audio; identifying the audio produced duringthe microphone muted selection as secondary audio; and transmitting theprimary audio and the secondary audio.
 10. The method of claim 9,further comprising: transmitting the primary audio over a first link;and transmitting the secondary audio over a second link.
 11. The methodof claim 9, further comprising: transmitting the primary audio accordingto a first protocol; and transmitting the secondary audio according to asecond protocol.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:packetizing the primary audio and the secondary audio; and marking atleast one of (i) packets of the primary audio and (ii) packets of thesecondary audio.
 13. An apparatus comprising: a receiver configured toreceive audio produced by a headset, wherein the headset has a mutecontrol configured to select a microphone open selection or a microphonemuted selection, and wherein the audio includes primary audio andsecondary audio, wherein the primary audio is generated by a microphoneof the headset during a microphone open selection, and wherein thesecondary audio is generated by the microphone of the headset during themicrophone muted selection; and a switch configured to pass the primaryaudio to a communications channel, and to pass the secondary audio to ananalytics engine.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein: the switch isfurther configured to pass the primary audio to the analytics engine.15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: the analytics engine.16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein: the receiver is furtherconfigured to receive the primary audio over a first link, and toreceive the secondary audio over a second link.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein: the first link is an audio link; and the secondarylink is a data link.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: the firstlink is a Bluetooth Synchronous Connection Oriented (SCO) link; and thesecondary link is a Bluetooth Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link.19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the receiver comprises: a firstreceiver configured to receive the primary audio according to a firstprotocol; and a second receiver configured to receive the secondaryaudio according to a second protocol.
 20. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein: the audio comprises packets of the primary audio and packets ofthe secondary audio; at least one of (i) the packets of the primaryaudio and (ii) the packets of the secondary audio include marks; and theswitch is further configured to distinguish the (i) the packets of theprimary audio and (ii) the packets of the secondary audio based on themarks.